FOR INTERNET MARKETERS -- TO INVITE CONTROVERSY and ENCOURAGE DISCOURSE to all of those seeking to become more effective, HAPPY marketers. Here we discuss what is good marketing, bad marketing, INVISIBLE marketing, grey area marketing, back door marketing, you name it. We are ethical people. We just discuss everything. WARNING -- NOT FOR THE FAINT AT HEART! Did I happen to mention "internet marketing"?

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Thursday, April 29, 2010

Ok, so, keeping in mind that you have a hard drive full of programs and software for which you've paid a small ransom, the money's just not yet coming in, is it? Or, is it?!

Well, if you're in the former "or is it?" category, and you're in need of some quick cash, have a look at WalletPop's, "25 (Unusual) Ways To Make Quick Money", then leave a comment below and let me know which one(s) you'd actually consider!

Wednesday, April 28, 2010

Ok, as per the screenshot on the left, never mind the fact that Fiverr has allowed some pretty racy offers to appear in their listings. Isn't sending some a picture of your hoo-hah considered "adult" in nature? There's kids on Fiverr, chrissake...

But, putting that aside for the moment, my big issue with Fiverr, as of late, has been the fact that they don't make it unavoidably clear to potential merchants that their payout requirements are nearly impossible for the bulk of merchants to achieve. And, gauging by the countless articles from people extolling the great, clever virtues of Fiverr, it seems as if I'm the only one who's spotted this so far.

In my 2nd Fiverr article, "Using Fiverr Can Make You A Loserr - Solution Enclosed", I presented a possible solution for what I discovered was Fiverr's virtually IMPOSSIBLE payout requirement ($40 = 8 Sales). The reason it's virtually impossible is because everyone has to make 8 sales to get paid. And while they are trying to make those 8 sales, their offer sinks to the bottom of the list as countless other new arrivals throw their hat in the ring as a Fiverr merchant.

Now, if a merchant doesn't make even one sale, that's one thing. However, the moment they make their first sale, THEIR $5 from the service that THEY performed, is retained by Fiverr until the merchant reaches the payout minimum of $40. It doesn't matter that most newcomers to this marketing phenomenon won't even know anything about a Terms of Service, prompting "realists" to say, "Hey, it's caveat emptor, you know, buyer beware." What matters is that along with nearly impossible payout requirements and an ever-growing number of new merchants, Fiverr is going to end up "unjustly enriched" by the WORK OF OTHERS.

In other words, in a very passive, and quiet, way, Fiverr makes it VERY easy, and VERY likely, that many, if not most, merchants, will leave some of THEIR earnings behind. In fact, it's SO easy, and SO likely, that many, if not MOST, Fiverr merchants will end up leaving THEIR rightfully earned money in the hands of Fiverr, that it would seem to fall under the legal heading of "Unjust Enrichment." Here is a section about it from Wikipedia:

At common law, a claim based on unjust enrichment can be submitted to five stages of analysis. These can be summarized in the form of the following questions:

Was the defendant enriched?

Was the enrichment at the expense of the claimant?

Was the enrichment unjust?

Does the defendant have a defense?

What remedies are available to the claimant?

QUESTION 1: Do you think whoever is behind Fiverr actually anticipated this? Or, do you think they meant well but only realized it afterwards and aren't yet willing to change it?

QUESTION 2: As per the Wikipedia article, *wrong-doing* does not need to be proven in order for there to be a case for being unjustly enriched (by their merchants good faith efforts). Do you think, therefore, that Fiverr would be found guilty of unjust enrichment?

In your opinion, professional or not, what do YOU think the solution to all this should be? Should Fiverr be penalized? And will you link to this article (or tweet it), as a service to help protect others, just like yourself, avoid such a problem?

Tuesday, April 27, 2010

I wouldn't go so far as to say Fiverr did this intentionally but, by now, those who've read my previous blog post, "Fiverr: We Will Rip You Off for $5!!", understand that getting paid by Fiverr.com, for most people, will be nearly IMPOSSIBLE.

Before I present my solution to Fiverr's problem, I want to say that if it was unintentional, then it is forgivable, but only if they rectify it. And, for those who still don't grasp the enormity of this problem, here is one more go at it in a short, point-by-point explanation.

Merchants (you, and 1000s of others) sign up to perform like a pack mule for $5 per event;

You make a sale (yay!), and only THEN do you find out that you must have a $40 balance to withdraw;

You attempt to make 7 more sales to reach the $40 payout minimum;

Those "1000s of others" are trying to make their 1st-8th sales, too.

Whoops, 1000s of more people are signing up because you, and others, are raving about the coolness of fiverr.com (I'll explain this phenomenon in a moment);

Now many MORE 1000s are trying to make their first sale, while MANY 1000s are STILL trying to make 7 more sales in order to reach Fiverr's payout requirement;

Meanwhile, more people are signing up each day and your offer slips slowly away into the depths of the Fiverr ad abyss.

Return to point 4 forever and pray you reach $40 or you get none of it.

Ok, First, What Fuels This?

Most of the merchants on Fiverr are not skilled marketers. They have some kind of TALENT but it is not in marketing. So when something like Fiverr.com arrives on the scene, these talented individuals (mixed with a small percentage of clowns trying to exploit the opportunity) eagerly dive in hoping to get some exposure, and/or junior-league bragging rights to their friends.

Because they are not marketers, they tell EVERYONE about how cool Fiverr is and, guess what? By telling everyone, they just increased their competition ten-fold. It's a good bet that many of the people who visit fiverr are going there because they want to see what cool things they can get for $5 - period, so ANY exposure they give Fiverr waters down the opportunity for them.

So, unwittingly, this mix of talented people, and their clownish counterparts, increase their competition and further erode any possibility of reaching a payout minimum.

So, What's the Solution, Sam?

It's rather simple, actually. Since Fiverr takes $1 from every sale you make (something else that isn't readily apparent before you join as a merchant), it adds up to Fiverr keeping 1 out of every 5 sales you make. With the money they have made so far, it should be no problem for them to develop a script that pays Fiverr for the first of every 5 sales you make. Fiverr gets paid directly for the first, then YOUR paypal address should be rotated in for the next 4 sales.... rinse, repeat.

Is there a possible risk that the merchant could take a few sales and not come through? Sure, however...

That's a risk that FIVERR should shoulder, or solve, rather than coming up with a payout requirement that's going to leave most merchants with 1-7 sales, uncompensated for their work;

The disgruntled buyer can request a paypal chargeback. No legitimate paypal user wants that nonsense on their paypal account;

But, the burden should not be on the merchant. Otherwise, what you will find is something that might already be happening -- sensing they will never reach 8 sales, some merchants might decide not to finish an order they started.

Please, someone, tell me how most of the people who make a sale on Fiverr aren't going to end up a Loserr?

Thursday, April 15, 2010

At first, Fiverr seemed like a pretty good idea. For a mere $5, you can take advantage of someone's desperate need to make $5 and/or get some publicity, and they will do whatever it is they say they'll do for it. I kinda liked the idea... like a five dollar bargain basement.

Then I threw my hat in the ring and offered some info for $5. And wow! A week later, someone ordered! Cool, I was gonna make FIVE DOLLARS!! I was really liking fiverr...

until....

until, just after completing my first sale, fiverr.com replied with,

"Minimum withdraw sum: $40 of Cleared funds

You need additional $40 to withdraw"

I'll tell you this, Fiverr might slip that news into an obvious place NOW, but until now, it was nowhere easily found. So, the fact is, they stand to make a LOT of money from people who make less than 8 sales... and with a ton of incompetent jamokes out there trying to sell everything but the kitchen sink for $5, it's gonna be virtually impossible for every person who makes 1 sale to make 7 more.

SELLER BEWARE!! THE ODDS ARE IN FIVERR.COM'S FAVOR THAT YOU WILL NOT MAKE 8 SALES!!